County government is Maine's oldest form of government, predating statehood and even the Declaration of Independence. The county is the only form of regional government whose officials are directly elected by the voters. Read more about County Government and its manyfunctions. Click here to check out the 2014Directory of Maine Counties, listing all officials for each county. Some very useful links are available here to find out more about individual counties, some related national organizations, and the state government.

It's time to make your hotel reservations for the 2015 Convention of Maine Counties!

June 4th the National Association of Counties (NACo) launched a new webpage designed to serve as a one-stop resource for counties on the recently proposed federal definition of "Waters of the U.S." released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) on April 21. County leaders are encouraged to utilize this resource. In an update from November of 2014, NACo Urged Feds to Withdraw and Clarify "Waters of the U.S." Proposal​. Check out the website by clicking here.

As part of MCCA’s newly adopted Strategic Plan, the Strategic Planning Committee would like Maine county officials to participate in a brief online survey to determine what programs and services the counties would like MCCA to provide. Your opinion matters! Click the button to share your ideas.

On June 25, 2014, the Senate passed H.R. 803, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) with a 95-3 vote. H.R. 803 (as amended) represents a bipartisan, bicameral compromise between the SKILLS Act, (H.R. 803), which was passed by the House in March 2013, and the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S. 1356), which was passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in July 2013. This bill will consolidate job training programs under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) into a single funding stream. It will also amend the Wagner-Peyser Act, reauthorize adult-education programs, and the programs under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The various job programs are being authorized for six years with a requirement that they record and report on how many people get new jobs through their participation in the programs.

MCCA in NACo County NewsWhat issues are driving state associations’ legislative agendas? What are the latest and most persistent challenges your county colleagues in other states are facing? State-to-State explores these questions and helps keep you in touch with your fellow leaders across the country. MCCA's Executive Director, Rosemary Kulow, talks to NACo about what's happening in Maine. Click here to read the article.

Kennebec County Jail Programgives new hope for inmates fighting addiction. Ten jail inmates started what they hope will be new lives on Wednesday, thanks to a program that makes them confront drug and alcohol addiction. The program at the Kennebec County Jail involves almost six weeks of intense therapy, followed by continued therapy and counseling after they are released. Sheriff Randy Liberty says he started the program in 2010, becauseso much of the crime in Kennebec County was related to opiate addiction. "We arrest opiate addicts and traffickers," says Liberty, "we incarcerate them without programming they will return to the community and continue to offend." With the help of the Crisis and Counseling Center, they created the Criminogenic Addiction and Recovery Academy (CARA) which was designed to target both the inmates' addiction and the underlying reasons for their criminal behavior. Liberty and program counselors say it gets very deep into the lives of the inmates, and helps them explore issues many have never talked about before. The program is voluntary, and is open to inmates at all Maine jails. And Sheriff Liberty says it works. He says 43 classes have now completed the program, representing well over 400 people. Based on results in Kennebec County, the Sheriff says the recidivism rate – meaning those who return to jail – is just 12% to 14%. He says national recidivism rates are far higher, close to 50%.

Do you know? There Are 10 Times More Mentally Ill People behind bars than there are in State Hospitals. Click below if you'd like to read more of this article from Mother Jones.

The Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program provides payments to counties and other local governments to offset losses in tax revenues due to the presence of tax-exempt federal land in their jurisdictions. GOOD NEWS! PILT funding has been extended for one year as a fully funded mandatory entitlement program.

The Division of Lifelong Learning at the University of Maine offers a wide range of degree programs, certificates, and courses for working people including the bachelor’s degree in University Studies, an adult degree completion program, andthe master’s degree in Interdisciplinary

Studies with concentrations in Maine Studies and Peace and Reconciliation Studies as well as certificates and minors in Labor Studies, Maine Studies, and Peace and Reconciliation Studies. Many of these courses can be taken entirely on-line or with a limited number of meetings on campus. Click below for more info.

PBS Documentary, A Matter of Duty, details Kennebec Sheriff Randy Liberty’s personal battle with PTSD and several veterans in his charge at the Kennebec County Jail. Liberty’s honesty about his own condition and his efforts to help other veterans vividly depicts the continuing impact of war on the men and women who have served our country. For more info click this link: A Matter of Duty

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has a presence in all Maine counties Each office receives county government funds for their educational programs and operations. Please click here for more information about services available in your county.